Posts by Alex Brown

About

Alex is a co host for Clear Admit's Wire Taps podcast. He has spent 30 years in the MBA admissions industry, and authored the book: Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions Alex also teaches digital marketing through executive education programs for London Business School, Imperial College Business School and Columbia Business School.

Published: September 11, 2022

Wire Taps 251—690, should they retake? Indian corporate lawyer. Targeting the trilogy (HSW)

Our latest episode of the Clear Admit podcast begins with Alex reviewing the upcoming MBA admissions deadlines for this week, which include Stanford, Yale SOM, Northwestern / Kellogg and NYU / Stern. Graham then makes a plea for listeners to take a new survey we have published which asks about brand perceptions for each of the top programs. More details are here: https://bit.ly/mbabrands (Note: Amazon gift cards are available to some of the respondents!) Graham then highlighted the new class profiles for Columbia and Duke / Fuqua, which led to your hosts debating some of the Read more

Published: September 4, 2022

Wire Taps 250—319 GRE, Round 1 vs Round 2. Apply this year or next year? African entrepreneur

This week’s show kicks off with a short “celebration” of the 250th episode of Clear Admit’s podcast. Over 3+ years we’ve had 264,000 listens, with listeners tuning in from nearly every corner of the globe! Alex then discussed this week’s upcoming deadlines, which include Harvard, UPenn / Wharton, UVA / Darden and Duke / Fuqua. Graham highlighted the Real Humans piece recently published for Michigan / Ross MBA students, and your hosts discussed the value of these pieces for understanding fit for each of these programs. Graham also highlighted the Adcom Q&As from Vanderbilt / Owen and Read more

Published: August 28, 2022

Wire Taps 249—Eastern European with low GRE score. Retaking the GMAT, modest GPA. Strong numbers, strong profile

This week’s episode kicks off with a look ahead to this week’s admissions deadlines for Oxford / Said and ISB. Graham and Alex also discussed the current activity on MBA LiveWire from those applying to Columbia Early Decision and J-Term rounds. Graham noted two recently published Adcom Q&As, from the ISB and UC Irvine; he then brought up the recent publication of a ‘Real Numbers’ piece on the percent of students who are US minorities at the top programs in the United States. This led to a discussion regarding the important distinction between being an under-represented minority Read more

Published: August 21, 2022

Wire Taps 248—Indian EdTech entrepreneur. Aerospace and Defense engineer. Enlisted Army linguist.

This week’s podcast kicks off with a discussion of the recently released class profiles for UCLA / Anderson and Cornell / Johnson. Both programs showcase impressive incoming students and stats overall, but there are some notable trends to observe around application volume and an uptick in the percentage of international students. Alex and Graham wonder if this potentially leads to some downward pressure on gender diversity, as the international pool traditionally has fewer women (as a percentage) than the domestic pool. Alex noted the fast-approaching R1 deadlines for this season, and Graham highlighted the Adcom Q&As that Read more

Published: August 14, 2022

Wire Taps 247—Super GMAT modest GPA conundrum. Hungarian consultant. Brazilian banker

This week’s episode of WireTaps kicks off with a discussion on the percentage of international students at the top US MBA programs. There is quite a difference in the numbers at Stanford and Columbia versus Wharton and Harvard. Alex and Graham speculated as to the reasons. Your hosts also noted the upcoming MBA admissions deadlines for Round 1, which begin at the end of August. Graham then highlighted an upcoming webinar (August 17) featuring alumni who appeared in our Real Humans series to discuss their career paths. You can sign up here: https://bit.ly/realhumanswebinar Graham also highlighted the Read more

Published: August 7, 2022

Wire Taps 246—Over-represented, retake the GMAT? Professional gambling pastime. Military candidate, seeking deferral.

This episode kicks off with a brief conversation about Alex and Graham’s first webinar for Clear Admit+ subscribers. It was a fun and intimate event, allowing Alex and Graham to provide direct feedback on specific subscriber questions. The second Clear Admit+ webinar is scheduled for Monday, August 29. More details on Clear Admit+ are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/clearadmit-plus/ Beyond ClearAdmit+ news, Graham highlighted the recently published UPenn / Wharton class profile. Wharton is the first school to announce their class profile this season, and it certainly includes some impressive numbers. One element that your hosts neglected to mention is the drop Read more

Published: July 31, 2022

Wire Taps 245—Space career to help differentiate. Lots of potential, for next season. Using the MBA to help relocate?

This week’s episode of WireTaps kicks off with some discussion about the recent rollout of Clear Admit+, our new subscription service (which we are very excited to have launched!). Clear Admit+ comprises more than 4 hours of proprietary video content that Graham and Alex recently recorded in London. The subscription also includes access to our data dashboard, unlimited access to Clear Admit publications, and a monthly webinar series, the first of which is scheduled for today. More details are here: https://www.clearadmit.com/clearadmit-plus/ Beyond chatting about Clear Admit+, Graham highlighted the recent Adcom Q&As with Stanford and Arizona State / Carey. Read more

Published: July 24, 2022

Wire Taps 243—Belgian who flies. Electrical engineer, targeting reach schools. Policy advisor, aiming high.

The latest episode of the podcast begins with an exciting announcement about Clear Admit+, our new subscription service! Clear Admit+ provides subscribers with exclusive content and tools. It includes access to the Admissions Academy, a digital course consisting of more than four hours of proprietary video content that podcast hosts Graham and Alex recently recorded in London. It’s designed to move you through the admissions process, from researching the right programs, developing your “personal inventory”, tackling each element of the written application, and preparing for the interviews. The subscription also includes access to the Clear Admit Data Dashboard (a tool Read more

Published: July 17, 2022

Wire Taps 242—Ballet dancer to non-profit arts management. Three time GMAT test taker, strong engineer profile. Long term goal clarity, for someone planning ahead.

This episode of WireTaps begins with some fun Q&A; specifically Graham quizzing Alex about his upbringing, a desired superpower, and other questions typically reserved for our ‘real humans’ guests. Alex and Graham then go on to discuss the slow-down in waitlist activity of late, cautioning that it’s not over until students arrive on campus. Graham highlighted an Adcom Q&A, recently published, for MIT / Sloan, and noted the recent anonymous gift that Dartmouth / Tuck received: $52 million for a new summit to focus on health, wealth and sustainability. Graham then highlighted the ongoing MBA essay workshop series; Read more

Published: July 10, 2022

Wire Taps 241—Army vet in Real Estate. Super numbers, strong healthcare focus. Stellar GMAT, but more modest GPA.

This episode of the Clear Admit podcast kicks off with some talk about the activity on MBA LiveWire, which included Harvard’s decision release for its 2+2 program, as well as some additional waitlist movement. Graham highlighted some tidbits from the Adcom Q&As recently published, for Northwestern Kellogg and Chicago Booth, as well as a ‘Real Numbers’ piece focused on average GRE scores; kudos goes to Yale SOM with a median score of 331! Graham also noted the upcoming MBA essay workshops, beginning this Wednesday with Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, Dartmouth Tuck, and UVA Darden; signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessays Alex Read more

Published: July 3, 2022

Wire Taps 240—First-gen scholar, Taiwanese Canadian accountant. Seeking Search Fund Opportunities.

This week’s podcast begins with a discussion of recent activity of LiveWire; a few waitlist decisions are still being released, while new applicants are beginning to report their applications for next season (at least for Columbia’s Early Decision round). Harvard Business School is scheduled to announce its 2+2 deferred enrollment decisions this upcoming week, closing out the 2021-22 decision-release season. Graham discussed the Economist ranking, and also highlighted an Adcom Q&A with NYU / Stern. your hosts also discussed GMAT numbers at top programs, highlighting a series published on Clear Admit. Graham also noted the upcoming MBA essay workshops, scheduled Read more

Published: June 26, 2022

Wire Taps 239—Targeting Southeast, Duke versus M7. Full-time versus Part-time, for MBB. Urban planner, strong ECs.

This episode of WireTaps kicks off with Graham reflecting on his experience at the GMAC conference (and the party that Clear Admit hosted for fellow Graduate Management colleagues). He then highlighted a Real Humans alumni piece, featuring an MBA graduate from INSEAD who is now working at Bain. This led to a discussion on the need for ‘focus’ during your MBA vs. the advantages of freedom (exploring random activities with fellow classmates), and how the 80-20 rule may apply. Graham also noted the upcoming MBA essay workshops, scheduled for July, signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessays The opening segment wrapped Read more

Published: June 19, 2022

Wire Taps 238—Congressional experience, two pathways. Multiple degrees, from Germany. Brit in Taiwan, great numbers.

This week’s episode finds Graham in Baltimore, USA, as he attends the Annual GMAC conference to catch up with admissions industry professionals at all the major MBA programs; Alex is a little jealous (recalling fond memories of past GMAC conferences he attended). On the admissions front, Alex highlighted the increasing switch from activity from this season (dwindling waitlist movements) to next season (more admissions deadlines and essay topics being announced). Graham highlighted two Real Humans Alumni pieces, Michigan / Ross and Cornell / Johnson, both working for McKinsey. Graham also highlighted the upcoming MBA essay workshops, scheduled for Read more

Published: June 12, 2022

Wire Taps 237—Strong international experience, is it enough? Government candidate from Canada. Military candidate with outstanding numbers

This week’s podcast kicks off with a discussion about updates for the new application cycle, as leading MBA programs have started releasing their new admissions deadlines and updated essays questions. Speaking of b-school essays, Graham reminded listeners of the upcoming MBA essay workshops – scheduled for July – signups are here: https://bit.ly/cambaessays. Alex then highlighted the MBA admissions book that Clear Admit offers, which suggests candidates begin with a “personal inventory” before tackling their individual applications and essays. Graham shared three Real Humans alumni pieces, including an INSEAD graduate working at Amazon, a Northwestern / Kellogg Read more

Published: June 5, 2022

Wire Taps 236—Central Asian candidate with manufacturing experience. Super numbers, going fast! First-gen female candidate, worried about the GMAT.

Alex and Graham are back with another episode of WireTaps, kicking off this week’s show with a discussion of the recent roll-out of several Clear Admit ‘essay topic analyses’ (which we prepare each season), as the likes of Tuck, Darden, HBS, CBS, and more have published their topics for 2022-23. Speaking of essays, Graham also announced the upcoming essay workshops, which run throughout the month of July and into August. The first workshop includes school representatives from Berkeley / Haas, Chicago / Booth, Dartmouth / Tuck, and Virginia / Darden. You can sign up here: https://bit.ly/cambaessays. Moving on from Read more

Published: May 29, 2022

Wire Taps 235—Promising MBA candidate, unknown additional activities. Unconventional candidate, with weaker numbers. 730 GMAT, should they retake?

Happy Memorial Day! This week’s podcast kicks off with some discussion of the latest wait list movements and anticipation of more activity over the next couple of weeks. Graham then discussed the Application Overview Workshops that have now concluded and previewed Clear Admit’s July webinar series, which will be focused on each MBA program’s essays. Graham also noted a special webinar event on June 8, focused on entering the management consulting field (signups are here: https://bit.ly/caconsultingjune). Graham then highlighted two ‘Real Humans Alumni’ pieces; a Cornell / Johnson graduate working as a Technical Account Manager for Google Read more

Published: May 22, 2022

Wire Taps 234—UK-based African immigrant focused on sustainability. France-based African immigrant debating whether to pursue the MBA. US-based Latina, going HBS or bust.

Alex and Graham began this 150th episode of Wire Taps by reviewing some of the show’s “greatest hits”. A huge thankyou to our listening audience for making this podcast a pleasure to produce, record, and share each week! Beyond the fanfare of a milestone episode, Alex highlighted more waitlist movement, and the anticipation of further activity in this area as Stanford and Chicago / Booth’s decision releases are due this upcoming week. Graham highlighted a new admissions tip which focuses on the role of supplemental course work (aka transcript repair); this includes a deep-dive look at HBS CORe and Read more

Published: May 15, 2022

Wire Taps 233—Asset management sales to top MBA? Lawyer to consultant, from New Zealand. Military pilot seeking product management role.

Alex and Graham kick off this week’s episode with some discussion around the waitlist movements they’ve observed over the last week on MBA LiveWire. It is becoming clear that MBA programs are going to their waitlists in good numbers, with likely more to come. Graham highlighted the most recently published Real Humans alumni pieces, including a Columbia graduate who has landed at Microsoft, and a Northwestern Kellogg grad who is now in a role with Amazon. Graham also discussed a new initiative we have launched, where we are seeking reviews regarding your experience with Clear Admit. We ask Read more

Published: May 8, 2022

Wire Taps 232—Cyber-security military officer, physics degree. Food scientist, seeking MBA to do good. Top numbers, underwhelming school selection

Graham and Alex are back for another Wire Taps episode as Round 3 decisions continue to roll out (this upcoming week includes UPenn / Wharton, Northwestern / Kellogg, Michigan / Ross and Berkeley / Haas). Your hosts discussed anticipation of significant movement on the wait lists over the next few weeks and Graham put Alex on the spot with a question about the application process. Graham then highlighted two Real Humans alumni pieces; the first a Ross graduate working as an Associate at McKinsey, and the second a Stanford graduate working on matters of energy transition and decarbonization Read more

Published: May 1, 2022

Wire Taps 231—China-based entrepreneur, with a 333 GRE. Greek candidate, sports background, no undergrad. Canadian engineer, maybe aim high.

This episode of the Clear Admit MBA podcast kicks off with Alex and Graham discussing the Round 3 decisions that are starting to roll out, noting how it’s a much shorter cycle than the prior rounds with rapid turnarounds. Graham then highlights several ‘Real Humans: Alumni’ pieces, including a CMU / Tepper graduate working at Google, a Cambridge / Judge alum who has landed with Microsoft, a recent INSEAD graduate who chose the Boston Consulting Group, a Cornell / Johnson alumna who also works for BCG, and a USC Marshall alum working Google. Graham also Read more

Published: April 24, 2022

Wire Taps 230—Enlisted military candidate with a subpar GPA. Military officer with a modest GRE score. Haas ($$) versus Wharton ($) and HBS for tech entrepreneurship.

This week’s episode of the podcast offers further details of Alex and Graham’s recent trip to London, followed by discussion of all the latest MBA admissions news. In particular, Alex noted this week’s application deadline for HBS’s 2+2 program. Graham also highlighted the recent ‘Real Humans: Alumni’ pieces, including a Columbia graduate working at Google, a NYU / Stern graduate who landed at Apple, a Chicago / Booth graduate working at Microsoft, and an HBS alum also at Microsoft. Graham then noted Clear Admit’s upcoming events schedule, with a series of Application Overview workshops slated Read more

Published: April 17, 2022

Wire Taps 229—Airline pilot seeking MBA. Top ORM candidate, needs to apply early. Darden versus Kenan Flagler ($), McCombs ($) and Simon ($).

This week, Graham and Alex tackle a variety of topics, from their meetup in London for a top-secret project to all the latest in MBA admissions news. Graham called attention to Clear Admit’s incentive program for top contributors on the platform and a survey we now have in the field and would really love you to complete; you can access it here: https://bit.ly/casurvey2022 (Amazon gift cards are available for some survey respondents). Graham also highlighted Real Humans Alumni pieces, including a Stanford graduate who works for Apple, a Northwestern / Kellogg graduate at Apollo Investment Corp. and Read more

Published: April 10, 2022

Wire Taps 228—Should we question a 730 GMAT?! Is 2 years of work experience enough? Anderson versus McCombs and Rice, for clean energy finance.

In the latest episode of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions podcast, Alex and Graham talk about getting together in London this week to work on a “top secret” project… (which actually means that if the project fails, no one will be the wiser!). Speaking of London, Graham highlighted the career report from London Business School; there are some very interesting differences in this career report, as compared with top U.S.-based programs. Graham also points listeners to the latest Real Humans alumni pieces; the first features a Michigan / Ross graduate who navigated from a pre-MBA career in retail Read more

Published: April 3, 2022

Wire Taps 227— History major, Marine, seeking pivot to investment banking. Health care candidate, targeting 750 on the GMAT. Kellogg versus Yale, is it a no-brainer?

This week’s episode of WireTaps kicks off with a discussion of the 2023 US News & World Report rankings for US-based MBA programs. For those of you who missed the results, Chicago / Booth shares the top spot with UPenn / Wharton, with Stanford and Kellogg tied for third, and Harvard and MIT Sloan tied for fifth. While advocating for more of a tiered ranking, Alex makes the case that rankings like US News do themselves harm when they place Harvard and Stanford outside the top two. After that discussion, Graham highlighted Real Humans Alumni pieces from a Read more

Published: March 27, 2022

Wire Taps 225—Great candidate, but is the GMAT high enough? Deferred admissions candidate, heading to Big Tech. Darden versus Ross, with waitlists to navigate

In this week’s edition of WireTaps, Alex and Graham discussed the wave of recent MBA admissions decisions from the likes of UPenn / Wharton and Northwestern / Kellogg, as well as the upcoming releases from Harvard and Stanford. As usual, there has been lots of activity on Live Wire. Graham then highlighted several Real Humans Alumni pieces, which included MBA alums who have made the move from Cambridge / Judge to Citibank, from HBS to Google and from Emory to Deloitte. Graham highlighted each of the tips these alums provided for incoming MBA students. Your hosts then Read more

MBA Livewire

February 22, 2025 3:00am ET

Interview Invite to Duke / Fuqua

Round: Round 2

Received via email on February 13, 2025

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.3

GMAT: 615

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City

February 21, 2025 10:18pm ET

Interview Invite to USC / Marshall

Round: Round 2

Received via email

Standardized Test: Granted Waiver

GPA: 3.3

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

February 21, 2025 7:16pm ET

Interview Invite to U. Chicago Booth

Round: Round 2

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.0

GMAT: 650

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

February 21, 2025 7:13pm ET

Interview Invite to U. Chicago Booth

Round: Round 2

Received via portal

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.0

GMAT: 650

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

February 21, 2025 5:28pm ET

Rejected at MIT Sloan

Round: Round 2

Received via portal February 21, 2025

Standardized Test: GMAT

GPA: 3.5

GMAT: 750

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Entrepreneurship

Note:

Rejected from LGO and full time

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